


The Forgotten Summer

by Bernie18



Series: The Forgotten Summer [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Past Character Death, Racism
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bernie18/pseuds/Bernie18
Summary: Melanie Bennett never wanted to move to Derry, Maine. Unfortunately, her parents were dead, and her remaining relatives lived there. Three years later, Melanie has gotten used to the town. There were good and bad things about it. Soon, however, she will have to deal with the worst thing about the town.
Relationships: Bill Denbrough/Original Female Character(s), The Losers Club (IT) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Forgotten Summer [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587529
Kudos: 3





	1. The Last Day of School

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure if I should leave a trigger warning for racism or not. A character does call my black oc a gorilla, but it's more out of dislike than racism.  
> Face claim for Melanie Bennett: Skai Jackson

Melanie Bennett entered her science class. It was her last class of the day and of the school year. She went to sit at her assigned table. Her science partner, Bill Denbrough, was already sitting down with their bridge.

The science teacher, Mr. Nell, had decided to allow the students a fun activity for the last month of class. They were supposed to build bridges out of popsicle sticks. One the last day of class, they were going to test which bridge was the strongest by putting weights on them. 

“Hey, M-m-m-Melanie,” Bill greeted, smiling at her.

Melanie’s heart fluttered. “Hi, Bill,” she greeted back.

“H-h-how’s your da-day been,” asked Bill.

“Fine,” Melanie replied. “Well, except for that class I had with Greta Keene.”

Greta Keene was the daughter of the town pharmacist. She was also the meanest girl in school. She bullied anyone she considered beneath her. However, Greta seemed to have a special contempt for Melanie and her best friend Beverly Marsh. She hated Bev because of her “reputation” and Melanie for an altercation they had in the 5th grade.

Melanie had English class with Greta earlier today. Their teacher, Mrs. Douglas, decided it would be fun to have everyone in the class to share their summer plans.  _ She clearly has a different definition of fun _ , Melanie remembered thinking.

When it had been Melanie’s turn, she hadn’t been able to even utter a word when Greta cute. “Are you going to visit the other gorillas at the zoo,” she sneered at Melanie.

The entire class (except her cousin Mike Hanlon and Stan Uris) had laughed. Melanie had looked down at her desk in embarrassment and anger. Sure, it hadn’t been the first time Greta had called her a gorilla or gorilla girl, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t upset her any less. 

“Gr-Gr-Greta sucks,” said Bill sympathetically.

“That’s an understatement,” Melanie commented. They both chuckled. “Do you think our bridge will do okay?”

Bill shrugged. “I-I hope suh-suh-suh-so.”

“Alright, lads and lasses,” announced Mr. Nell. “Class has begun. Ye need to be quiet.”

Mr. Nell was an Irishman that moved to America in his teens. Many students found it amusing to mock his accent. 

“Ye heard the good sir,” Richie Tozier mimicked. “Quiet down now.”

Richie was one of them. He probably did it more often than anyone else in the class. He was called Trashmouth for a reason.

“Master Tozier, I believe yer accent has gotten worse,” quipped Mr. Nell.

Everyone in the class laughed. “I say, Master Nell popped off a good one,” Richie continued in his terrible accent.

Mr. Nell rolled his eyes. “If you’re quite done Master Tozier, I would like to continue with class,” he sternly said. 

“Well, go on then, lad.” Richie really wasn’t letting up.

Mr. Nell sighed and then continued, “Alright, I hope ye have yer bridges ready. It’s time to test them.”

Bill and Melanie’s bridge ended up doing okay. It had broken after having 50 pounds on it. Had it been a contest, they would’ve won fourth place.

After all their bridges had been tested, Mr. Nell had given them free time. Melanie had planned to read a book she bought, but that plan quickly changed.

“H-H-Hey, Melanie. D-D-Do yuh-you want to c-c-c-come ha-hang out with m-m-m-me and my fr-fr-friends u-u-u-until school ends,” Bill offered.

Melanie was stunned for a moment. Sure, she liked Bill and got along with him, but they didn’t talk much outside of class. 

“Oh, well, I don’t want to bother you guys,” Melanie nervously said.

“Yuh-yuh-ou won’t,” assured Bill.

“Okay, then,” she agreed.

Melanie grabbed her chair and followed Bill to the table Richie and Eddie Kaspbrak sat at. When they approached the table, Richie and Eddie were arguing.

“There’s no way you can make a better loogie than me,” Richie said.

“Fuck you, Trashmouth,” argued Eddie. “Yes, I can.”

“H-Hey, guys,” Bill interrupted. He and Melanie put their chairs across the table from Eddie and Richie. They sat down.

“Hey, Big Bill,” greeted Richie. He looked at Melanie. “And who is this lovely lady?”

Melanie smiled, pleasantly surprised by Richie’s statement.

Eddie gave Richie an annoyed look. “You know who she is,” he complained.

“Quiet, Eds! I’m trying to be charming,” Richie claimed.

“Don’t call me Eds,” shouted Eddie.

“Are they always like this,” Melanie whispered to Bill.

“Yuh-yuh-yeah,” responded Bill. “Yuh-You get u-u-used tuh-tuh-o it.”

“What are you two whispering about,” Eddie questioned, turning his attention to Bill and Melanie.

“Obviously, they’re flirting, Eds,” said Richie, smirking at them.

“No, we weren’t,” Melanie immediately denied. 

“Aw, don’t break Bill’s heart like that, Mellie.”

“B-b-beep beep, R-R-R-Richie,” Bill said. 

Melanie furrowed her eyebrows. “Mellie?” No one called her that.

“Yeah, it’s a nickname.”

“Most people just call me Melanie or Mel.”

“That’s boring. Mellie sounds better. Oh, or Mellie Jelly!”

“Please, don’t call me that,” begged Melanie.

“He won’t listen to you,” Eddie informed. “Once he gives you a nickname, you’re stuck with it.”

Richie wrapped an arm around Eddie’s shoulder. “You know me so well, Eddie spaghetti,” he playfully said.

Eddie shoved him away. “Fuck you.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, Eds.”

“I swear to god…”

“So, M-m-m-Melanie,” interrupted Bill before another argument could break out, “wuh-wuh-what’s that b-b-book you h-have a-a-a-bout?”

“Photography,” Melanie responded. Mike had given it to her for her birthday to go with the camera her aunt and uncle had bought her. She hadn’t gotten around to reading it until recently.

“Do yuh-yuh-ou ha-have a ca-ca-mera?”

“Yeah.”

“Wait, if you have a camera, how come we’ve never seen you with it,” interjected Richie, joining the conversation.

“I mostly leave it at home because of Bowers,” Melanie explained. 

“Oh. Well, that makes sense.”

Greta Keene was bad, but Melanie would much rather deal with her than the Bowers Gang, especially Henry Bowers and Patrick Hockstetter. Those two were the worst of the bunch. While their other friends, Belch Huggins and Victor Criss, weren’t saints, they seemed to have limits. The same could not be said about Henry and Patrick.

Bringing up Bowers had led to a conversation about the worse thing he and his friends had done to them. It wasn’t a nice conversation, but it was something they could talk about. Eddie talked about Henry giving him a bloody nose; Bill mentioned Victor and Belch throwing paint on him during art class; Richie described how Patrick took a shit in his backpack.

“It still can’t believe he did that,” commented Eddie after Richie finished his story.

Melanie wrinkled her nose. “You don’t still have the same backpack, right.”

“Of course not. What do you take me for,” Richie said, feigning offense. They all chuckled. “What about you?”

“Huh,” said Melanie.

“What’s the worst thing Bowers or one of his friends has done to you?”

That question wiped the smile off Melanie’s face. She felt stupid for not considering the fact that the boys would want to hear from her. Why wouldn’t they? She brought up Bowers in the first place, and they all told her their experiences.

“Um, I guess it was that time Bowers knocked me off my bike back, and I ended up scrapping my knee,” she lied. It wasn’t a complete lie; it had happened.

Bill nodded. “I remember that,” he said. He had helped patch her up after it happened. It was the first time they had ever talked.

“Why are they all assholes to everyone,” complained Eddie.

“I don’t know about the others, but my uncle says Henry acts the way he does because of his father,” Melanie responded. “He called him a turd, too.”

Bill, Richie, and Eddie all had a good laugh at that last part. They continued to talk about several other things. One of them included their friend Stan Uris and his Bar Mitzvah. 

“There’s a church full of Jews, and Stan has to take the super Jewy test,” Eddie claimed when she and Bill asked what was supposed to happen during it.

“B-but how d-d-does it wuh-work,” inquired Bill, still not understanding.

“They slice the tip of his dick off.”

“No way,” Melanie said in disbelief.

“But then Stan will have nothing left,” exclaimed Richie.

“It’s true,” Eddie said.

Before the discussion could continue, the bell rang. School was out; summer had begun. Everyone was hurrying to grab their things and leave.

Mr. Nell spoke over the commotion, “ I hope ye have a great summer and remember to be careful.”

Melanie and Bill took their chairs back to their table. “Later, Bill,” Melanie said.

As she went to leave the classroom, Bill called out her, “M-M-Melanie.”

She turned back to him. “Yeah.”

“Uh-uh-uh… n-n-nothing. I j-j-just h-h-hope to s-s-see you a-a-around this su-su-summer,” nervously said Bill.

Melanie smiled at him. “I hope so, too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Melanie left the classroom slightly disappointed. She had hoped maybe Bill would invite her to hang out. Sure, she could have done the same, but she feared rejection too much.

If her mother had been there, she would have said,  _ Sometimes doing something you’re afraid can be worth the fear. _

It was good advice. Maybe, she would follow it… one day. Today was not it.


	2. A New Friend & An Old Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fancasts for Mike's Parents:  
> Will Hanlon: Idris Elba  
> Jessica Hanlon: Regina King

Melanie weaved her way through other students in the crowded hall. She had to grab some notebooks she left in her locker. Once she arrived at her locker, she opened it and grabbed the notebooks. She then put them in her backpack and closed her locker. 

Melanie began to walk toward the main entrance. She hoped Henry Bowers and his friends weren’t out there. She didn’t want to deal with them today. Honestly, she never wanted to deal with them  _ any  _ day.

Luckily for Melanie, the Bowers Gang was driving away just as she exited the school. “Thank God,” she said under her breath. 

After watching them leave, she noticed that Butch Bowers, Henry’s father, was here. She shivered at the sight of him. She didn’t understand how a man like him was allowed to become a cop. 

Officer Bowers wasn’t alone; his partner and Mrs. Ripsom were with him, too. The woman was visibly distressed. Melanie couldn’t blame. Her daughter Betty had been missing for over a month.

Melanie didn’t know Betty well, though she seemed okay. She didn’t give her, Mike, and Beverly shit like other people did. A part of her hoped Betty was still alive, but she doubted it.

“Mel,” she heard a voice call from behind her.

She turned around and saw it was Mike. “Hey, Mikey,” she greeted.

“What were you looking at,” he asked.

Melanie pointed at Mrs. Ripsom.

“Oh,” said Mike. He was silent for a moment. “It must be horrible for Mrs. Ripsom.”

“Yeah,” Melanie agreed, staring sadly at the woman. She knew what it was like to lose someone.

Mike frowned. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” she lied.

Mike opened his mouth for a moment then closed it. After a moment of silence, he said, “Well, my mom is probably waiting for us.”

Melanie nodded. “Right.” 

They walked to where Aunt Jessica would normally park to wait for them. Sure enough, she was there. She was reading one of the books she kept in her glove compartment. 

Mike knocked on the passenger door. Jessica looked up from her book. Upon seeing Mike, she unlocked the car doors. Mike sat in the passenger seat while Melanie sat in the back.

“How was school,” Jessica inquired once they were seated

“Fine,” they answered simultaneously.

“Good,” she said, starting the car. She pulled out of her parking space and drove away.

Melanie was glad to get away from school. She didn’t hate school like other kids, but she did have a problem with the people there. More specifically, she had a problem with Bowers’ Gang and Greta Keen. Minimal interaction with them during the summer was always a blessing.

She just prayed nothing terrible would happen this summer.

**-TFS-**

Melanie and Mike entered the library together. Aunt Jessica had dropped them off while she ran some errands. Melanie didn’t like doing errands unless she absolutely had to, so she decided to go with Mike. He had needed to return a history book he had checked out. They were supposed to meet Aunt Jessica at Joey’s Diner.

They approached the desk where Mrs.Starrett, the librarian, sat. She smiled when she saw them. “Mike, Melanie, it’s lovely to see you both,” she said

Melanie wasn’t here as often as Mike, but she was here enough for Mrs. Starrett to know her name. 

Mike placed his book on the desk. “I’m here to return this,” he said.

“Wonderful,” said Mrs. Starrett. She took the book and put it on a cart beside her.

“Is  _ Derry During the 18th Century _ still here,” Mike asked.

For a moment, Melanie wondered why it wouldn’t be; then, she recalled Mike mentioning someone else had been checking out history books. That had surprised Melanie. Mike and Uncle Will were the only people she knew who would willingly read a history book.

“Yes,” replied Mrs. Starrett, “it’s still in the history section.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Starrett,” said Mike.

“No problem,” Mrs. Starrett said. She then returned to her work.

“I’m gonna look at the teen books,” Melanie informed Mike.

“Okay, I’ll find you later.”

Melanie nodded. She went in the direction of the teen section. She read the titles on the spines to see if any of them interested her. 

One caught her attention. It was called  _ Tiger Eyes _ . She had read it last year. Well, she had  _ tried  _ to read it. When the death of the main character’s father came up…

Melanie suddenly didn’t want to be there. She quickly walked out of the teen section. She needed to find Mike; she headed to the history section. There, she found Mike talking to another boy.

Melanie recognized him from her and Beverly’s social studies class. His name was Ben something. Melanie approached them.

“Mike,” she said to get his attention.

Mike turned around. “Hey, Mel,” he said once he saw her.

“Um, hi,” Ben greeted shyly.

“Hi,” said Melanie. “It’s Ben, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” he replied.

“What were you two talking about,” she asked.

“History books,” Mike responded.

“You like reading history books, too,” Melanie asked Ben.

“Yeah,” Ben replied. “Do you?”

Melanie shook her head. “Nah, that’s more Mike’s thing.”

“What books do you like?”

She shrugged. “I don’t read a lot. I have been reading a photography book, though.”

“That sounds cool.”

“Are you ready to go,” Mike questioned Melanie.

“I am,” responded Melanie.

“Okay,” Mike said. He turned back to Ben. “Me and Melanie are supposed to meet my mom at Joey’s. Do you want to come with us?”

“I can’t. I promised my mom I’d come straight home from the library,” said Ben.

“Alright, maybe we can hang out another time,” Mike suggested.

“Really,” exclaimed Ben. “ I mean… yeah. That would be cool.”

“Cool.” Mike held up the book in his hand. “I’ll call you when I’m done with the book.”

Ben smiled widely. “Great!”

“It was nice meeting you,” said Melanie.

“You, too.”

After a few more words between Mike and Ben, he and Melanie headed to Mrs.Starrett’s, so he could check out his book. Once that was done, they left the library and walked to Joey’s. 

“Ben seems nice,” Melanie said.

“Yeah, he does. I heard Henry has it out for him,” said Mike.

“Why,” Melanie asked. She instantly felt stupid for doing so. Henry never needed a reason to torture someone.

Mike shrugged. “It might be because he’s…,” he trailed off.

“Fat,” Melanie finished for him. She hoped she hadn’t sounded rude.

“Yeah,” said Mike.

“What do you think Henry is going to do to him?” Henry always followed through on threats. He was going to do something to Ben sooner or later.

Mike shook his head. “I don’t want to even think about that. My guess is that it isn’t good.”

Melanie looked at the ground. “Yeah.”

They didn’t talk the rest of the way.

**-TFS-**

“Hey, kids,” a cheery voice greeted Melanie and Mike when they sat at the diner counter.

“Hi, Sarah,” they said in unison.

Sarah was the wife of James Marshall, a farmhand of Will Hanlon. If she wasn’t working at Joey’s, she was at their house.

“Jessica stopped by and told me you two were coming,” Sarah said. “You guys want anything?”

“Want to share an order of tater tots,” Mike asked Melanie.

Melanie nodded. “Sure.”

Sarah wrote the order down. “You want anything to drink,” she inquired.

“I’ll have a chocolate shake,” replied Melanie.

“Strawberry shake,” Mike responded.

Sarah wrote that down, too. “The shakes shouldn’t take too long,” she told them. “The tater tots will probably be about 20 or 30 minutes.”

“Okay,” said Melanie.

“Holler if y’all need anything else,” Sarah said.

“We will,” said Mike.

Sarah turned and walked away to help another customer. Mike pulled out his book to read; meanwhile, Melanie looked around the diner.

Many kids from school were there. She recognized a few of them. One in particular she noticed was Eddie Cocoran; they had P.E. together. She noticed he looked sad. 

Melanie wondered if it was because of his younger brother, Dorsey. The boy had died about two years ago. It had been an accident. Though, some kids at school weren’t sure about that. Beverly was one of them.

_ “Why wouldn’t it have been an accident,” Melanie asked. _

_ “No reason it’s just,” Beverly trailed off. _

_ “What?” _

_ “You’ve seen his brother Eddie, right?” _

_ “Yeah.” She wasn’t sure where this was going. _

_ “Well, he comes to school bruised a lot.” _

_ “So do you. He’s probably just clumsy like you.” Beverly didn’t reply to that. She looked upset. “Bev, are you okay?” _

_ “I talked to him once,” Beverly said. “He said his stepdad was harsh with him.” _

_ “Harsh?” _

_ “He hits him.” _

_ “You mean a spanking.” Plenty of her friends in Louisiana would get spankings from their parents.  _

_ “No, I mean…” _

The sound of the diner door opening pulled Melanie out of her memories. She turned to see if it was her aunt who had entered. Her heart sank; it wasn’t her aunt. It was Henry Bowers and his friends. 

He spotted her and leered. Melanie gulped; she and Mike were in trouble.


End file.
